Hit and run in San Antonio, TX: who investigates, who pays, and finding a hit and run lawyer

Last checked November 8, 2026

SAPD's Traffic Investigations Detail handles hit-and-run cases in San Antonio, at 210-207-7385.12 For injuries, call 911 or the non-emergency line, not the online form.3 To use uninsured motorist coverage, the unknown car must have actually touched you or your property.4 You generally have 2 years to sue.5

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Road map of San Antonio, where SAPD's Traffic Investigations Detail looks into hit-and-run crashes on city streets
No contact with the car? Texas uninsured coverage may not apply. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

How do I report a hit and run in San Antonio?

Call right away. Texas requires crashes with injuries to be reported by the fastest means,6 so use 911 if anyone needs help. For a crash that is no longer an emergency, SAPD's non-emergency number is 210-207-7273.7

Do not count on the online police report form. SAPD says an incident with an injury or death has to go through the non-emergency line or a local substation.3 When you call, give the direction the car went, and any part of the plate you saw.

  1. Stay where it is safe and write down the time, the block and which way the car went.
  2. Photograph paint transfer, broken parts and tire marks. A piece of grille can help identify a make and model.
  3. Knock on nearby doors and check for store cameras the same day.
  4. Ask for the case number. You will need it for the report, your insurer and any state help.8

Who investigates a hit and run in San Antonio?

SAPD's Traffic Investigations Detail looks into hit-and-run crashes, failure to stop and render aid, intoxication assault and intoxication manslaughter.1 The day shift runs 7:45 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. every day, and a night detail works 7 p.m. to 5 a.m.9 If you have a tip but do not want to give your name, use Crime Stoppers at 210-224-7867.10

Outside the city limits, the Bexar County Sheriff or the Texas Highway Patrol may take the case.1112 Detectives often cannot share much while a case is open. Ask for a name, a case number and the date you should call back. Then call that day.

We could not find an official count of hit-and-run crashes for San Antonio or Bexar County. TxDOT's public county tables do not include one. For scale, the city had 37,299 crashes in 2025.13 Alcohol was involved in 1,347 of them.14

Is a hit and run a felony in Texas?

What happenedTexas law
Crash hurts someone or is likely toThe driver must stop right away15
After stoppingThe driver must give name, address, registration number and insurer, and help anyone hurt16
Someone seriously hurt and driver leavesThird-degree felony17
Someone dies and driver leavesSecond-degree felony17

A criminal case is separate from your money claim. Even if police never make an arrest, you can still use your own insurance. If someone is caught and convicted, the criminal case will not automatically pay your medical bills.

Who pays my bills after a hit and run in San Antonio?

If the driver is never found, the money usually comes from your own policy. Uninsured motorist coverage is in Texas auto policies unless a named insured turned it down in writing,18 so ask your insurer for a copy of any signed rejection.

There is one trap. For a Texas hit-and-run claim under that coverage, the unknown car must have actually touched you or your property.4 If a car forced you off Loop 410 without touching you, the claim gets much harder. Look for any witness, dash camera or video that shows what happened.

If a driver hit you while you were walking, tell your insurer that too. People on foot are a small share of crashes and a large share of the worst ones,19 and the coverage question is worth asking.

Can the state help with hit-and-run bills in San Antonio?

Yes, it might. Texas's crime victims law counts leaving the scene under Transportation Code 550.021 even though a car was involved.20 The Crime Victims' Compensation Program can cover costs up to $50,000,21 and it pays only after other sources. You generally have three years to apply,22 and the crime must be reported to police.

You do not have to do this alone. The Bexar County District Attorney's Victim Assistance staff can be reached at 210-335-2105, with help in Spanish,23 and that office can help you apply.24 SAPD's Victims Advocacy line is 210-207-2141.25

What if the car that hit me belonged to the city or VIA?

If a witness or video later shows it was a City of San Antonio vehicle, you must send written notice within 90 days after the injury.26 A VIA vehicle means a claim with VIA.27 Because a hit and run can take time to solve, ask a lawyer quickly if you have any reason to suspect a government car.

When should I call a hit and run lawyer in San Antonio?

  • Your insurer says there was no contact and denies the claim.
  • You were seriously hurt and your coverage is low.
  • The driver has been found and has a lawyer of their own.
  • A detective has stopped returning calls and your 2-year date is getting closer.5

Questions

What number do I call to report a hit and run in San Antonio?

Call 911 in an emergency. Otherwise call SAPD at 210-207-7273.7 The Traffic Investigations Detail is 210-207-7385.2

Does insurance cover a hit and run in Texas?

Your uninsured motorist coverage may, but the unknown car must have actually touched you or your property.4

How long do I have after a hit and run in San Antonio?

Generally 2 years to sue.5 A state crime victims application generally has three years.22

What if the police never find the driver?

You can still claim on your own policy.18 Ask the DA's Victim Assistance office about the state fund.24

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San Antonio

Hit and run

Texas

Sources

  1. SAPD, Homicide & Assault, checked 2026-11-08. “Failure to Stop and Give Information (Hit and Run)”
  2. SAPD, Contact & Connect, checked 2026-11-08. “Traffic Investigations Detail (TID) : 210-207-7385”
  3. SAPD, File a Police Report, checked 2026-11-08. “to report an incident that involves any of the following: - Injury or death to a person”
  4. Tex. Ins. Code § 1952.104(3), checked 2026-11-08. “require that, for the insured to recover under the uninsured motorist coverage if the owner or operator of any motor vehicle that causes bodily injury or property damage to the insured is unknown, actual physical contact must have occurred between the motor vehicle owned or operated by the unknown person and the person or property of the insured.”
  5. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003, checked 2026-11-08. “not later than two years after the day the cause of action accrues”
  6. Tex. Transp. Code § 550.026(a), checked 2026-11-08. “shall immediately by the quickest means of communication give notice of the collision to the:”
  7. SAPD, Contact & Connect, checked 2026-11-08. “Non-Emergency: 210-207-SAPD (210-207-7273”
  8. City of San Antonio, Police Open Records Requests, checked 2026-11-08. “please provide the SAPD case number if known”
  9. SAPD, Homicide & Assault, checked 2026-11-08. “Traffic Investigation Detail Monday - Sunday: 7:45 a.m. – 5:45 p.m.”
  10. SAPD, Contact & Connect, checked 2026-11-08. “Crime Stoppers : 210-224-STOP (7867)”
  11. Bexar County Sheriff, Central Records, checked 2026-11-08. “For accident reports, please visit the TXDOT website”
  12. Texas DPS, Highway Patrol Service, checked 2026-11-08. “responsible for general police traffic supervision, traffic, and criminal law enforcement on the rural highways of Texas”
  13. TxDOT, 2025 Crashes and Injuries by City and Town, checked 2026-11-08. “SAN ANTONIO 159 167 494 579 5,851 8,034 4,888 8,202 23,857 65,326 2,050 10,657 37,299”
  14. TxDOT, 2025 DUI (Alcohol) Crashes by City and Town, checked 2026-11-08. “SAN ANTONIO 38 40 47 75 238 320 123 212 835 1,899 66 197 1,347”
  15. Tex. Transp. Code § 550.021(a), checked 2026-11-08. “The operator of a vehicle involved in a collision that results or is reasonably likely to result in injury to or death of a person shall: (1) immediately stop the vehicle at the scene of the collision or as close to the scene as possible;”
  16. Tex. Transp. Code § 550.023, checked 2026-11-08. “(1) give the operator's name and address, the registration number of the vehicle the operator was driving, and the name of the operator's motor vehicle liability insurer [...] (3) provide any person injured in the collision reasonable assistance”
  17. Tex. Transp. Code § 550.021(c), checked 2026-11-08. “(A) death of a person is a felony of the second degree; or (B) serious bodily injury, as defined by Section 1.07, Penal Code, to a person is a felony of the third degree;”
  18. Tex. Ins. Code § 1952.101(c), checked 2026-11-08. “The coverage required by this subchapter does not apply if any insured named in the insurance policy rejects the coverage in writing.”
  19. City of San Antonio, 2024 Vision Zero Action Plan, checked 2026-11-08. “Vulnerable road users make up under 6% of all injury crashes, but account for about 28% of serious or fatal crashes.”
  20. Tex. Code Crim. Proc. ch. 56B, checked 2026-11-08. “in violation of Section 550.021, Transportation Code”
  21. Texas Attorney General, Crime Victims' Compensation Program Overview, checked 2026-11-08. “The CVC Program can help cover costs up to $50,000”
  22. Tex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 56B.052, checked 2026-11-08. “not later than the third anniversary of the date of the criminally injurious conduct”
  23. Bexar County District Attorney, Victim Assistance, checked 2026-11-08. “The Victim Assistance Division may be contacted at 210-335-2105.”
  24. Bexar County District Attorney, Victim Assistance FAQ, checked 2026-11-08. “the DA’s Office can help you apply for benefits”
  25. SAPD, Contact & Connect, checked 2026-11-08. “Victims Advocacy : 210-207-2141”
  26. San Antonio City Charter, Article XII, Sec. 150 (Municode), checked 2026-11-08. “notice in writing of such death, injury or destruction within ninety days after the injury has been sustained”
  27. City of San Antonio, Notice of Claim form, checked 2026-11-08. “No, you would need to file a claim with the corresponding entity.”

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